Revellers have hit out at Love Saves the Day following Friday's (June 3) torrential downpour at Ashton Court, with many saying they felt the reaction was "dangerous" and "unsafe". Attendees say organisers failed to respond adequately to the "horrific" turn of events as crowds tried to flee the 30,000-capacity festival following heavy rainfall, which halted the line-up and led to Arlo Parks cancelling altogether.
Adam Wade told Bristol Live that the event was "an absolute shambles" and said that public safety should have been the "number one" priority at the festival and he has "never felt more unsafe". The musician acknowledged that Loves Saves the Day is one of the city's biggest festivals but he believes organisers must be held accountable and take responsibility for what he perceived to be a lack of planning.
"Cover should have been provided so that people could stay dry and at least a little warm. People were scared, cold and just wanted support," the 26-year-old spectator continued. Tom Paine, organiser of Love Saves The Day said in response: “Public safety is always the top priority".
Read more: Love Saves the Day shares long apology as fans demand refunds for Friday's washout
According to the organiser, police and security "quickly" managed the large volume of visitors to exit the site safely, adding that they "continually" responded to changing circumstances that the heavy rain presented". He further addressed claims that there was no shelter provided during the downpour at the event and shuttle bus services were cancelled.
"Shuttle buses were reorganised and additional services were added when the event was met with sudden additional demand due to the rain," he added.
"Zero procedures in place"
Olivia Rose Fox, who works in Bristol Live's audience team, disagreed and said she felt "there were zero procedures in place to ensure the safety of us festival-goers". She acknowledged the "unrelenting torrential rain" but felt it was the responsibility of the organisers to provide sheltered areas - "even trees were fenced off," she added
"The only area slightly undercover was the very limited space in front of the bar areas which people flocked to and packed in like sardines," she continued. Olivia said she was told by a member of staff that "thin rain ponchos" we being sold for £20.
She was left outraged at the price and like others, she hunted around for bin liners. "People were literally ripping the tops off of bins to cover their heads," she said.
LSTD said visitors were encouraged to come prepared as the open-air festival has always taken place outdoors. Its statement added: "There isn't enough cover for everyone attending in the circumstances of heavy rain.
“For around an hour the rain was very heavy and a lot of people didn't bring coats or jackets with them. Some people obviously got inventive!"
"So little love...they did not save the day"
Some said they felt scared and that there were chaotic scenes that took place. Twenty-one-year-old Monica Richards from Brighton told Bristol Live that her partner Ross was one of many revellers who resorted to using purple bins as rain cover.
"So little love from the organisers and they most certainly did not save the day," she added. She said she felt "trapped" having travelled from Brighton to attend a festival and standing in a "puddle for six hours" just to make the most of her £66 ticket.
She said: "At what point do we tap out? - "It was absolute chaos and their lack of assistance needs to be spotlighted!
"There was a mass exodus of people fleeing for shelter in higher grounds as it became a mudbath," she added.
She recalled needing assistance from one of the event's welfare and medic tents but claims she was mistreated. In response, the organiser said: "This is categorically not true. Our professional welfare and medical team carried on working throughout the show, never stopping and all protocols and best practices were applied throughout the rain downpour.
"Welfare and medic tents were there to treat patients in serious need, not to allow people to shelter from the rain.
"Our security were in place to keep control of these tents and only allow people with genuine medical and welfare requirements to enter. This is an important area to maintain the integrity of to ensure we can care for any injuries."
"Barricaded in portaloos"
Surrey couple Saskia Welch and Oscar East said it was "the most dangerous situation" they have ever experienced at a festival. Mr East told Bristol Live that from the moment they passed through the mandatory security the day went downhill.
He said: "It was horrific. It turned into complete mayhem - bars were falling apart and fences were falling down. People we cramming under planks of wood and some were emptying out wheelie bins to put over their heads."
Mr East said he was "crushed" as people desperately tried to find shelter, and it was at that point the pair were concerned their safety was being put at risk. He said they tried to find alternative rain cover but "people had barricaded themselves in portaloos".
The 23-year-old said staff began "screaming and shouting" for everyone to exit the event adding that security were "pushing" people to leave sheltered areas. However, LSTD responded: "No one was told to leave the festival.
"We had over 330 security and 150 stewards on-site over the weekend and when it became apparent that large numbers of people were suddenly leaving because of the heavy rain, our Event Control team quickly reallocated their positions to assist.
"It was an absolute nightmare"
Mr East said the pair tried their best to wait it out having travelled all the way from Surrey to see their friend among other artists perform. He said they waited for an hour but decided to head back home only to receive a message at 9pm from organisers inviting people to come back.
"It was an absolute nightmare" he added. LSTD said: "No one was told to leave the event at any point. Some of the bars were temporarily closed to allow people to shelter from the rain but reopened when the rain stopped.
"After the rain stopped we received a lot of messages from people asking if they could come back in, having left earlier, so, in addition to answering these messages, we put a post up on our social media channels to confirm that people would be allowed to re-enter if still in possession of their tickets."
"When I got home I had blue lips"
Revellers told Bristol Live how worried they became having gone home soaking wet and cold - an utter contrast from Thursday's (June 2) hot weather. But despite raising their concerns via the LSTD social media accounts, many say their complaints were either ignored or deleted.
Adam Wade added: "The organisers are not taking any responsibility and are gaslighting all the people who had left the event which is really, really shameful.
"When I got home I had blue lips and the reason why I left is that I am not getting hyperthermia."
Olivia Rose Fox was also disappointed by the festival's initial statement on its social media account, which has since been followed by a more apologetic response from Love Saves the Day. Prior to the second statement being released, she said: "What’s most disappointing is LSTD’s response on social media, and them posting glorified pictures which do not show the reality at all."
She too was concerned about hyperthermia if she hadn't made to decision to leave the event with her friends. "I was so tired that I worryingly could barely keep my eyes open, assuming because of how hard my body had to work to not get to a level of hypothermia. This was 8pm," she added.
In a post shared to its 39,000 Instagram followers, LSTD addressed the problems raised about "tented structures on-site" on (June 3). "We, as a festival, have always avoided indoor structures at Love Saves The Day because our love and focus is on creative outdoor builds, and we pride ourselves in our unique designs which we hope is a large part of why you have all come with us on this 10-year journey, big ups and big love x".
The organisers have again taken to Instagram where they issued a further two-part statement following more complaints yesterday (Saturday, June 4). They apologised if Thursday night's statement was interpreted as "insensitive" and dismissive" to the revellers who left early.
Read the full statement and apology here from Love Saves the Day organisers.
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